Poisoned
by ShadowAbsol13
Summary: Everyone has a weakness. After a contest, these lovers will need to find a way past theirs. Contains Rocketshipping, Neoshipping, and Conjunctionshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Poisoned

**(A girl[me, age 13] with blue grey eyes and brown hair walks out on stage. She is wearing a purple and magenta striped turtleneck and purple and white jeans.)**

**Fantom-So me and my dear friend Azul(Amy) made an agreement. She lets me post her stuff as long as she has credit and is featured in disclaimers and whatnot. Please welcome Azul!**

**(A 13 year old girl with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes walks out, wearing a blue t shirt and shorts.)**

**A-Hey everybody!**

**F-Care to do the honors?**

**A- Fantom and I do not own pokemon. Otherwise I would be married to N and there would be more shipping. **

**F- Well said. **

**Enjoy!**

...

Jessie sat, curled in a ball in the corner of a dark, dirty cell. Across from her sat her most mortal enemy, in all her blonde-haired glory. Cassidy.

She wouldn't have even been in this mess if it weren't for Cassidy. It all started that morning, when she entered a totally amazing pokemon contest!

...

"Hello, I'm here to sign up for the Poison Type Festival Pokémon Contest!"

Jessie grinned. Her Seviper was out of its pokéball and she was squeezing it and strangling it out of pure joy. It released a distressed squeak and made pleading eyes at the festival coordinator.

Glancing at the poor snake, she asked, "Are you familiar with the rule of three pokemon, one of which being required to be poison type, due to the contest name?"

Jessie beamed again. "Yup! I have my faithful Seviper! And my other two pokemon are Wobbuffet and Yanmega."

She slowly pulled her gaze away from the Seviper, and scribbled something on a document. "Alright, you're all set. Name?"

"Jessilina."

"Thank you. You may head inside and start getting prepared."

Jessie twirled with Seviper in her arms. "Ooh, a contest just for poison types! It's like it was made for me!" She flung her arms out dramatically, causing Seviper to fall to the ground with a PLOP.

Someone who had been totally ignored and just slapped in the face by his partner's outstretched arm called himself to her attention. "Uh, Jessie?"

In an uncharacteristically kinder voice than she usually uses when talking to her partner, she replied, "Yes James?"

He carefully stepped toward Jessie. "Do you remember the order to hijack as many pokémon contests as possible? You know, because there's so many easy-catch Pokémon?"

Jessie looked at James as though he had two heads. "When did the Boss say that?"

Totally ignoring her, he continued, "Well I don't think it's a good idea to be entering this contest. What if a member of Team Rocket shows up to capture the Pokémon? What'll we do then?"

Jessie bonked James on the head. "What would the odds be of a field agent that actually knows us showing up?"

She marched into the dressing room for the contestants. James sat outside, slumped against a wall. Meowth sat beside him, swiping his claws at an invisible foe.

Literally seconds later, Jessie pranced out and twirled around in her intricately designed dress. "So, what do you think?"

Meowth grinned slightly at his partner James, who was staring at Jessie in awe. "I don't tink he wants ta tell ya what he tinks." Meowth's eyes narrowed. "It might end up givin' Jimmy dere a beatin'."

James looked at Meowth with mortified eyes.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean," asked Jessie.

James started stammering, "Uh, but I-uhm..."

Meowth butted in. "It means he tinks youse is goigeous, Jess!"

Jessie blushed. Did he really think she was gorgeous?

Jessie's head snapped around when she heard the trumpet fanfare over the loudspeaker. "That's my cue!" She rushed over and hugged her partners.

James was startled by her hug, but still smiled and returned her hug, and saying, "Good luck, Jess."

Jessie smiled fiendishly. "Luck's got nothing to do with it," she whispered.

...

"And next to take the stage, the poison type master..." The over enthusiastic announcer stood beside the judges and swept her hand dramatically to the platform rising from the floor. The lights in the stadium dimmed. James and Meowth marveled at the beauty of the entrance. A voice cried out, wonderfully magnified to the perfectly staged point.

"Seviper! Haze!"

A glimmering purple fog rose as a beautiful figure was revealed with her head down and arms out to the side.

"Retract the roof!" The girl spoke with a clear and level voice as she made the demand.

Daylight poured onto the field as the metal panels pulled back. The fog was revealed even greater and it sparkled in a magical glow. The girl was shown standing in the coils of a Seviper, her magenta hair glowing in an unnatural light. She flicked her head up, making her curls flounce. She closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air, smiling.

"...Jessilina!"

The crowd went wild. James gaped. "She's so beautiful." His eyes softened. Meowth grinned at him knowingly.

Jessie continued her performance, her blue eyes gleaming with the adrenaline of competition. Bracing herself, she set the next command. "Seviper, wrap me!"

The crowd was shocked that a trainer was strong or brave enough to have a pokemon attack them. Seviper swiftly began winding around Jessie's legs and up around her torso. She gritted her teeth. "Yanmega, show your stuff!" She reached out and threw Yanmega's pokéball into the air. The magnificent bug type pokemon materialized with a flash of light.

"Use Silver Wind to combine with the Haze!" Jessie shifted her weight. Yanmega blew the insect-like scales into the purple fog.

Jessie gave a swift order. "Yanmega, use Sonicboom!" At the same time, Seviper bit down on her wrist. Though she winced in pain and blood began trickling down her arm, she flung her arm into the air, Seviper trailing on it. It balanced just so it was standing upright on Jessie's arm. "Now use Poison Tail on the Sonic waves," Jessie cried. Seviper leaned ever so slightly, and as the first sound wave emanated from the Yanmega, it was filled with toxic poison that was carried with the strong wind. The brilliant attack cleared the Hazy field.

Jessie paused, then turned to the audience, expecting wild applause. Instead, screams stood in their place as people hurried to hide their pokéballs from sight. Confused, Jessie turned around.

Two shadowy figures stood behind the cloud, a pokemon at their feet.

"Prepare for trouble..."

Oh crud, Jessie thought, Team Rocket Grunts.

"...and make it double!"

Although, she couldn't help noticing that those voices were familiar.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

James heard their voices too. And he knew exactly who they were. He gulped. Jessie was gonna be really ticked off.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

It dawned on Jessie about who this could be. She turned red and clenched her fists.

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

The cloud finally dispersed. A blonde haired girl and a guy with teal hair stood back to back with a Raticate at their feet. Jessie could barely contain a shriek of rage.

"Cassidy!"

"And Butch, of course!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and all night!"

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"

Cassidy noticed quickly that the girl on the field looked remarkably like her old enemy, Jessie. She smirked and paraded up to her.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Cassidy circled Jessie ominously. "Oh honey, were you entering a contest?" She drawled on, her voice dripping with false sweetness. She grinned. "That's too bad. Because we're here for all the coordinators' pokemon." Jessie shook with pure rage. "Oh don't worry hon," Cassidy continued nonchalantly. "It's not like you would've won anyway. This contest is for good pokemon trainers."

Jessie lost it. "WHY YOU LITTLE-THAT'S IT!" Jessie pounced on Cassidy, who shrieked loudly.

Butch jumped forward and futilely tried to pull them away from each other. James leapt over the side of the arena, Meowth in tow. By now all of the people had left, screaming their faces off in the process. The two guys pleaded with their gals. "Jess darling, calm down!" "Cassie please! That's enough!"

Finally the girls weakened after dealing several wounds to each other and collapsed on top of their partners, knocking them down and landing in their laps. They all blushed awkwardly at their positions.

But they didn't have time to stutter and act all fluffily cute. Because just then, they were all blinded by a bright light.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I bet all you fans of this story are jumping for joy at the fact that this is THE SECOND CHAPTER OF MY CLIFFHANGERY FIC, POISONED! TADAAAAAA! Struck with inspiration, I wrote this in a night, and keep in mind that I'm bad at writing long chapters as stout read this probably very short one. Enjoy!**

**...**

The four Team Rocket members looked up as the light dimmed. Before them was a Team Galactic aircraft.

Jessie clenched her fists. There is not a single organization she has hated more than Team Galactic. They were just so smug and snobby.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the air craft, six field agents following her. She was wearing a short dress of silver and black that set off her red hair perfectly. She smirked. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my least favorite Team Rocket b*tches."

Cassidy and Jessie glared so ferociously, a gyarados would be frightened. "Mars," they hissed in unison.

Mars grinned evilly and laughed. Not just any laugh. But the kind if laugh that the person you hate the very most does specifically to annoy the crap out of you and make you seem insignificant because she can laugh just so perfectly and so much better than you. That kind of laugh.

"Yes, dearies, it is I, Mars! Commander of Team Galactic!" She flicked her wrist and swept her hand in front of her as she curtsied. She pulled a serious face and pointed to the group of Team Rocket agents and continued. "And it is my duty to capture and detain you four so you no longer interfere with Team Galactic's plans!"

Mars snapped her fingers. "Agents, take them away!"

Two agents grabbed Jessie's arms and tried to pull her to the aircraft. However, she was not going to stand for this. Jessie thrashed and flailed like a fish with no water. "Let me go!" She shrieked. "Let go of me! Get off!"

Mars rolled her eyes and walked up to Jessie and the struggling agents.

Jessie gasped with shock as Mars's hand came in contact with her face. Not only did it leave a red handprint, but Mars's sharp fingernails cut into her skin, leaving blood dripping down her cheek.

Mars clucked her tongue. "Now now, behave yourself, little girl; we don't want you throwing a temper tantrum. Have at least some sense of dignity, if you have some or ever had any," she spat.

Jessie grew limp in the grip of the agents. A soft sob emanated from her throat but her eyes were still filled with fire and defiance. James never wanted so much to wipe the blood and tears from her face and comfort her. "Jess," he whispered desperately. Just then, one of the agents pulled him away to the aircraft behind Jessie.

Cassidy kept her mouth shut during all of this. She learned from other people's mistakes.

But sometimes, temper wins over logic.

As the agents were dragging Butch to the aircraft, Mars brushed up against him and smiled sweetly. "Hiya Butch," she said in a deep voice. Butch's eyes widened as she walked away, still smiling.

That was the last straw. NOBODY tries to steal Cassidy's guy and get away with it.

As Mars was walking back to the aircraft, making sure everything was collected, Cassidy wrenched free of the agents holding her back and threw herself at Mars. Before she could even scream, Cassidy had a hand clamped over her mouth and had clawed her face repeatedly. She leaned close to Mars's ear and whispered, "I f*cking hate you."

Mars wriggled in Cassidy's grasp. Finally, two of the agents had to pull her off of Mars.

Mars gasped for breath and glared at Cassidy. She stepped onto the aircraft. "You know," she began, "sometimes, I ask myself if you're more trouble than you're worth." She smirked. "Then I realize it will all be worth it later."

James and Butch exchanged worried glances. They weren't so much worried for themselves as their girls. Jessie glared at Mars, silent tears running down her face. Cassidy sat, jaw clenched, eyes fixed in a glare on the floor.

The worst was soon to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Poisoned 3

They soon landed at a location unknown to the Team Rocket members. The Team Galactic members dragged them out of the air craft. They took a moment to observe their surroundings. They were just in front of a tall silver building in the middle of a desert. Pristine, cold, and clinical.

They were taken in past a reception desk and into an elevator. It opened with a sickeningly unnecessary ding as the hell they were to be residents of opened before their eyes.

It was dark and dirty. Prison cells lined each wall. As if answering a question, Mars said, "we've got to have some place to put our prisoners, haven't we?"

They went a long way down the twisting corridor. The guards opened two cell doors. Jessie and Cassidy were thrown in one and James and Butch in another.

Mars stepped back. "Remove your jackets and shoes." She turned and sneered at Cassidy. "And if I were you I'd hope I had shorts on under your dress, Cassie."

Cassidy glared at Mars. She removed her dress, revealing really short shorts, along with a white half-shirt(A/N:like Jessie's black one).

The guard gathered all of their outer clothing. Mars snapped her fingers and a guard handed Mars something, concealing it from the prisoners' view. She smiled sickly. She stepped into Cassidy and Jessie's cell.

"Well, Cassie dear, we have the matter of your little disturbance earlier to take care of." She pulled the object out and threw the end of it forward. Cassidy shrieked in pain as blood dripped down her now torn side.

The weapon in question was a crimson red color, with a leather handle and cruel wire curving out. Every few inches of the weapon, a barb would be placed.

Mars flicked the whip again and Cassidy wailed. Butch flung himself against the bars of his cell. "Cass!"

Mars obviously took notice of that. She flicked her wrist and Butch yelped in pain as the whip cut a deep gash in his hands.

Mars looked at the Team Rocket members with disdain. "Pathetic," she spat, and strode out.

Cassidy writhed on the floor, wheezing. Butch's eyes widened and he desperately stretched his arm out to her.

"She's having an asthma attack," he explained to the other Team Rocket members. He turned his attention back to Cassidy. "Cassie, come on," he coaxed soothingly. "Come on, you can do this, deep breaths."

Cassidy continued to wheeze. Eventually, after much coaxing, she breathed slower and deeper, evening her breaths. She collapsed with exhaustion.

Hours seemed to pass like minutes, and soon it was so dark no one could see anything.

They heard a clank and a screech. The door to Jessie and Cassidy's cell was flung open. A hand suddenly grabbed Jessie's arm. She shrieked and kicked her unknown attacker. James and Butch perked up. "Jess!" James called.

The attacker dragged Jessie out of the cell. "You're coming with me for questioning."

Jessie was pulled on the floor along a pitch black corridor. A door opened and she was blinded by a bright light. She was dragged to the center of the bright room, and chained to a pole. She took a moment to soak in her surroundings when her eyes adjusted. They were in a white brick, square room with no other objects contained there besides she and the pole.

The door opened again, and in sauntered Mars. She smirked, holding a case. She walked to one corner of the room and opened the case, plucking an object from her case. She turned around.

"Well, Jessie, isn't this fortunate?" She stepped toward the glaring girl. "I haven't seen you in a long time! Not since the day you poisoned me..." Mars trailed off, losing focus, unconsciously bringing a hand to her neck, where, if she did not have a turtleneck, you would be able to see a large scar made from the teeth of a Seviper.

She shook her head and grinned again. "And now, I have the chance to repay you the favor!" Mars's face filled with malice as she pulled the deadly whip from behind her back and brought her arm down with all of the force she had.

Jessie screamed. And not just any scream. A scream of the most agonizing, bone-shattering pain that makes you hurt when you hear it. So loud that James heard it, and he wept in agony and grief at the sound of his suffering love. He tore at his skin with every terrible shriek, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her pain.

Jessie was sobbing, all dignity thrown out the window. Her back was a bloody mess. She curled into a fetal position as Mars chuckled darkly. "Can you feel it?" Mars asked. "That's how I felt. Like I would rather die."

Mars's heart filled with hate. She reached to her thigh and grabbed a dagger in a sheath on her leg. She lunged forward and grabbed Jessie's arm, digging her nails into her flesh.

Mars leaned forward and snarled, "It's your fault I was scorned, you little _whore_. I never did anything to you and you just humiliate and wound me." She clutched her arm and snarled at her, her heart feeling nothing more than hate and the desire to make Jessie scream and beg. "_You'll be sorry_. You'll be sorry you ever met me, Jessie." She grabbed her dagger and pierced Jessie's arm. She pinned her to the ground. Jessie screamed and wailed. Mars carved a messy 'W' before Jessie started writhing. "STOP!" She screamed. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, PLEASE JUST _LET ME GO!_"

Mars tuned her out, a twisted smile on her face. She carved it out, letter by letter, across her arm, not stopping until her masterpiece was finished.

She pushed Jessie's head into the ground as she stood up and admired her handiwork.

In a messy scrawl, the word 'WHORE' was carved into Jessie's arm. She lay and wept, careful not to move her arm. Mars, drained of energy, tossed her dagger to the corner of the room. She had used up all of her adrenaline from burning hatred.

She stepped forward. "You can thank your little friend for getting you here," she whispered. "I never would have found you without little Cassidy's raid."

She snapped her fingers and the door opened. She strode out and ordered the guard to undo her chains and take her back to her cell.

Jessie moaned vaguely with every jerk and drag. She was thrown harshly into the cell. James flung himself against the bars. "Jessie?!" He cried desperately. "Are you okay? Jessie, please answer me."

She didn't for the rest of the night. From that moment on, he vowed to get her out.

**Yeah, a bit of a Bellatrix-inspired moment. Potterhead forever! I posted my update schedule on my profile. Please read it!**


	4. Chapter 4

772

Poisoned final

James crouched in the corner. Nobody might've expected it, but James and Butch were fired up and ready to roll. Because of the harshness of the prison they were in, they quickly adapted and grew stronger. Now they just had to find the right moment.

Right on schedule, a guard walked up to the girls' cell.

The girls, unlike the guys, were unable to adapt. They were practically dead already. But some part of the boys kept saying: 'No, they aren't dead. Just keep going and you can save them'.

The guard sneered and unlocked the door. He held a loaf of rock-type-hard bread in his hand. "Good morning, my pretties," he cooed. For whatever reason, he seemed to think they were his cute little pets or something. Weird.

He tossed the bread on the floor and strode over to Cassidy, his favorite to torment. "How's my little blonde birdie today, huh?" He lifted her up by the hair and her face contorted with pain. Butch gritted his teeth. The guard laughed and dropped her, making her yelp. He kicked her ribs as soon as she was still and quiet. There was a loud cracking noise. She cried out with a raspy yell and began wheezing.

The guard sauntered down the hallway and as he passed the boys' cell, a figure lashed out from the shadows. There was a flash of white and the guard clutched his stomach. He reached down and plucked out the sharpened object: a bone. He turned to the suspect.

Butch crouched, glaring defiantly, in the center of the cell. His hair was lying jaggedly in his face and his eyes were wild.

The guard glowered at him and unlocked the door. He took one step in and-

WHACK!

Butch staggered and fell. Blood began to drip down his forehead from his hairline. The guard clutched the bloody club. "That'll teach ya," he spat, and stalked off, shutting the doors behind him.

James carefully crawled up behind him. "You okay?" He whispered.

Butch raised his head slightly to what little light there was. There was a dark fire in his eyes, deepened by the blood now dripping around his eye.

"Better than okay."

...

They waited until the next day. The guards were stirring about particularly much that day. Butch reached over into the other cell and hissed, "Cassidy. Cassie, sweetheart, you need to get up."

She wheezed and dragged herself, slowly, and painfully, over to the dividing cell bars and, additionally, Butch's hand. She clutched his hand in a tight yet shaky grip.

James, in turn, coaxed Jessie up. "C'mon, over here. We're gonna get you out." Jessie moaned and slowly dragged herself. She collapsed, not having moved even three feet. Cassidy, slightly dazed, looked over at Jessie and released Butch's hand.

"Wha-!" He was cut off when he looked and saw Cassidy helping Jessie over to the other side of the cell. He gave a small smile and crept to the door of the cell.

James turned to the girls. "Which of you is stronger?"

Jessie and Cassidy exchanged a glance. Cassidy raised her hand halfway.

James nodded. "Yell as loud as you can," he instructed her.

She nodded, parted her mouth slightly, and released a blood-curdling scream.

A few moments later, a guard came running up to the cell. "Hey," he shouted, "shut your trap, Blondie, or I'll shut it for you."

Butch squinted and saw the keys at his waist. He carefully wiggled his hand between the bars, trying to be stealthy as he slipped the keys from the guard. He closed his fingers around the keys so they wouldn't jingle and blow their cover.

Suddenly Butch jumped back as the guard rushed forward and grabbed the cell door. He reached to his waist...

...and the keys weren't there.

He gasped and ran his hands through his hair. "Man, I must have dropped them somewhere. Mars is gonna KILL me!" He raced off down the hallway.

Butch grinned and tossed around the keys. He quietly slipped one into the lock, shut his eyes, turned-

CLUNK.

Wrong one.

He picked up the next key, placed it into the lock-

Click.

Perfect.

He opened the door slightly, and slipped out. He picked up the first key he tried and unlocked the door to the girls' cell.

Cassidy made a quiet whimper of relief as Butch reached down and picked her up. She sighed and melted into his arms, making him laugh slightly.

Jessie cried out quietly as James let go of her hand. He quickly ran around and scooped her up in his arms. She wailed halfheartedly, the pain of simply being picked up too much to bear.

James winced but knew there was nothing he could do. He nodded to Butch and they edged down the hallway.

Butch hissed, "We need to find my jacket. It has a communicator for headquarters."

At the end of the hall, there appeared to be a passageway on the left. They darted inside, but jumped back when they realized there was a guard sitting in a chair beside their belongings.

Butch carefully nestled Cassidy against the wall, wincing when she moaned.

He crept into the room quietly, sneaking up behind the guard. At one point, the guard jerked his head and Butch ducked down as quickly as he could.

The guard was relatively skinny, so Butch figured he could pull this off. He wrapped his fingers around the legs of the chair and pulled.

Startled, the young guard fell forward onto his hands. Butch quickly delivered a blow to the back of his head, knocking him out.

Butch gestured for James to guard Cassidy and walked over to his jacket. He pulled out the communicator from a hidden pocket. He punched a few numbers in and held it up to his ear, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hello?" A voice crackled.

"Yeah, this Mondo?"

"Oh my Arceus, Butch, where are you?! Everyone's been searching for you guys! The boss actually freaked out."

Butch growled. "We don't have time for this. We've been captured at a Galactic hideout. Cassidy and Jessie are really fucked up. Can you send someone out? Please? We're out in a desert somewhere."

Mondo sighed. "Alright. I'll tell the Boss you're all kinda in one piece. He'll definitely send anything out to get you guys back. You're our best field agents, you know."

Butch hissed. "Enough mushy stuff, just get it done!"

"Gotcha. Should take two hours, tops. Hang in there!" The line went dead.

Suddenly, Cassidy leaned over and hacked loudly. When Butch approached her, he realized she was coughing up blood.

"Honey, you're gonna be okay, just let me..." He trailed off as he felt her ribs. He let out a heavy sigh and rested his head on her shoulder. "Oh god," he breathed.

Cassidy laughed weakly. "I'm pretty fucked up, huh?"

Butch stared at her wearily and lied straight to her face. "No, you're gonna be fine," he said, and pulled her into his arms.

He cradled her until they heard a loud crash. They heard several screams when Mondo and Domino crashed into the room from the ceiling. Domino rushed over to Jessie as Mondo confronted Butch. The rescue agent waved for backup and said "You weren't kidding." Butch shook his head.

Domino began petting Jessie's matted hair. "Oh, sweetheart, don't you worry," she assured her, "everything will be just fine. We got you just in time. C'mon boys!" She shouted as she raced down the hall that lead to the elevator, guards scurrying around her in panic. The boys followed.

The next thing the girls saw was bright light.

...

Mars was sitting at her window of her office, asleep. Her hair was ruffled and she twitched every once in a while.

Someone charged through the door. "Commander Mars!"

She jerked awake and brushed back her hair. "Huh?" She asked drowsily.

A grunt was standing at the door, a panicked look on his face. "The prisoners have escaped! They blew their way into the dungeon and-"

He was cut off as the building shook and they both lost their footing. Mars grabbed the edge of the desk and steadied herself.

Three more figures appeared in the doorway, two of which being more grunts, and the third, Saturn. He ran into the room and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room. "There's no time," he shouted over the chaos in the halls. "The whole building's coming down!"

Mars squeaked. "What about our Pokémon? Why not use them to escape?"

Saturn shook his head. "The Pokémon room's been destroyed. Team Rocket stole all our Pokémon."

Debris started falling as they ran frantically to the stairway. Suddenly the floor caved in front of Mars and she screamed. Saturn released her hand and growled. "You know what, screw it." He jumped across the rift and gathered Mars up in his arms. "Sorry, Commander," he muttered.

Mars blushed and after some hesitation, clutched his shirt and nuzzled into him. He smelled like cinnamon.

After a moment of shock, Saturn leapt the rift again and raced down the stairwell, dodging debris and corpses as best he could.

As they reached the bottom, they could smell smoke. When Saturn opened the door, his worst suspicion was confirmed.

Fires had started all across the first floor of the building. The door to the building was wide open, however, and daylight poured in, giving him hope.

He darted around, trying to find a weak spot in the flames. He coughed. He tried the alternative. "HELP!" He screamed with a raspy voice. "ANYONE!"

A figure stumbled inside, coughing. "Saturn?" The figure shouted.

"Tiberius! Quick, take Mars!" He shouted hastily.

Tiberius nodded. "Toss her over the flames and I'll catch her!"

Tears began to stream down Mars's face. "No, don't leave me, Saturn," she wailed.

He kissed her forehead. "Everything's gonna be okay," he whispered, and tossed her to Tiberius, who caught her. "Go!" Saturn yelled, "get Mars out of here!"

Tiberius stumbled out of the door and tripped, unconscious from smoke inhalation. Two grunts rushed over to him.

Mars rolled from his arms and coughed heavily. She crawled to the doorway, moaning. "Saturn, no," she wailed. She laid there and sobbed loudly.

A female grunt, filled with sympathy, moved forward to comfort her. Jupiter grabbed her arm. "No," she said softly, "leave her be."

Mars writhed on the ground. He was everything to her. She wouldn't admit it, but she lived and breathed to see him every day. She was always cold and hard and forbidding, but he opened her heart with his soft, kind demeanor. A touch would calm her, a word would carry her through her problems. She hid from the unfeeling world inside his arms.

And in a moment, he vanished.

She buried her head in her arms, curling into a fetal position.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up.

And there he was.

His face was burnt and his sleeves torn. His legs were scraped and he had blood on his forehead. He wore a smile, his eyes gentle and warm.

She covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes were wide, tears still pouring down her soaked cheeks. She let out another sob and leapt up, wrapping her arms around him. She wailed, and he held her, stroking her hair. He tilted up her chin, staring into her innocent eyes. He brought his lips to hers, and she melted.

When he pulled back, Mars sighed. "They got away," she mumbled, placing her head on his chest.

Saturn kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't matter now."

...

Jessie blinked awake. The room was freezing cold, and everything was either blue or white. For a ridiculous moment, she wondered if she was in the arctic. But she vaguely realized something was on her hand. She looked to her right and saw James, head rested on the hospital bed, asleep. Laughing inside, she flicked his cheek with her finger, making him jolt awake. His eyes flew to her and he grinned from ear to ear. "Thank Arceus," he sighed. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Jessie looked at her bandaged forearm and bit her lip. "I wonder if there's any way to get rid of scars," she commented softly.

James smiled and nodded. "I'll look into it."

...

Butch sat beside her still figure. It had been two weeks since Jessie woke up, and she recovered rather quickly. She'd been confined to a wheelchair for the next few weeks. Cassidy, on the other hand, had over half of her ribs broken, and one had punctured her left lung. It had become ten times harder for her to breathe.

He heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he mumbled, and Jessie and James entered. James tried pushing her in, but she smacked his hand and rolled herself in. She wheeled herself around to the other side of Cassidy. "Hey Cass," she whispered. "You need to wake up, so your boyfriend isn't depressed anymore."

Cassidy's hand moved.

Butch's eyes widened. "Did you see that?" He asked excitedly.

James nodded. "I'll go get the doctor."

Butch was grinning widely. "At this rate, she might actually-"

Jessie laughed and cut him off as James returned with the doctor. "Well if you think her hand was impressive, she's about to give you a show!"

Cassidy's eyes were wide open.

Butch cheered and jumped up. The corners of Cassidy's mouth turned up.

The doctor smiled. "Well, this is good news! Just let me check her over, okay?"

He began her checkup, and everything was going smoothly. "Alright," he said cheerily. "Can you take a deep breath for me?"

She nodded, sucking in her breath, when she choked, wheezing and coughing uncontrollably. She brought a hand to her mouth, and when she removed it, it was covered in blood. After a few moments, her breathing returned to normal, and she slumped down, her eyes fluttering shut.

The doctor's eyes darkened. "Thank you, Cassidy," he muttered, and gestured for Butch to follow him out the door.

Butch shut the door behind them. "What is it?" He asked cautiously.

The doctor shook his head. "She has a few days. You should start saying your goodbyes."

Butch's blood turned to ice. "What?" He breathed.

"If we try anything else, it will just prolong her suffering. I'm sorry. There's just too much fluid in her lungs. And with the puncture, there's nothing we can do."

Butch silently reentered the room, and plopped down in his seat. He took her hand and began stroking it. James gave him a questioning look, and Butch gave a nod. Jessie's eyes welled with tears and she buried her head in James's torso. He petted her hair as she sobbed.

Without another word, they both touched Cassidy's hand, and left.

Silence filled the room, but Butch's ears rang.

Cassidy's eyes opened slightly. "You lied to me," she whispered.

Butch broke down in tears. "I'm sorry," he replied.

Cassidy shut her eyes again, a tear falling. "I forgive you," she said, placing her hand on his head.

"I love you," she added quietly.

The funeral was held a few days later.

...

Three figures walked through a graveyard, one very young, one limping, and the third supporting his wife.

The woman let go of her husband and stumbled forward, kneeling in front of a modest grave with a single rose on the headstone. The man sat beside her. "Butch came this morning," he observed. His wife nodded. The little girl, about eight with bright pink hair, sat on her daddy's lap. She leaned over and, kissing her fingertips, pressed them to the grave.

The woman shut her eyes and tears streaked down her cheeks. "I miss her, James," she whispered.

He hugged her gently. "I do too, Jess," he replied.

The little girl turned to her mother and kissed her cheek. "It's okay," she said confidently. "She's in heaven."

Jessie smiled. "Yeah, she sure is."

James helped her stand up, and took the little girl's hand. He kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Let's go, Cassidy."

The End.

A/N: To be honest, I didn't think I could make the ending this good. The part where they were escaping had to forced out, but then I got into the swing of things with the ConjunctionShipping bit. I really enjoyed this journey with all of you, and tell me what you thought. Fin.


End file.
